Women in Agriculture

The University of Maryland's International Women in Agriculture (WIA) program seeks to prepare female extension educators and leaders to work with poor or vulnerable women so as to improve family food security. This is done by expanding or initiating low-input agricultural practices on their farms, including: vegetable gardening, small-scale poultry production, composting to improve soil quality, improved postharvest handling and food preservation, preparation of nutritious meals, and marketing of agricultural products.

Currently, WIA focuses its efforts on the Afghanistan Agricultural Extension Project (AAEP-II), funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). AAEP-II is a consortium of five land grant Universities, led by UCDavis, with UMD-WIA managing the Women's Programming across Afghanistan.

We embody the University's land-grant mission with a commitment to eliminate hunger, preserve our natural resources, improve quality of life, and empower the next generation through world-class education.